Atlantic Council

From Josh Halliday, Guardian:  Cyber criminals have targeted government officials in more than 20 countries, including Ireland and Romania, in a complex online assault seen rarely since the turn of the millennium.

The attack, dubbed "MiniDuke" by researchers, has infected government computers as recently as this week in an attempt to steal geopolitical intelligence, according to security experts. . . .

Unusually, security researchers said there was no clear indication of who was behind the latest online attack. . . .

Goverments targeted include those of Ireland, Romania, Portugal, Belgium and the Czech Republic. The malware also compromised the computers of a prominent research foundation in Hungary, two thinktanks, and an unnamed healthcare provider in the US.

Victims' computers were infected when they opened a cleverly disguised Adobe PDF attachment to an email. The document would be tailored specifically to its target, according to the researchers, as unsuspecting government victims are more likely to open an attachment that mentioned foreign policy, a human rights seminar, or Nato membership plans.  (photo: Magdalena Rehova/Alamy)